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F A. BREWER & W. S. HOW

FORGEPS FOR APPLYING RUBBER DAM CLAMPS. No. 315,706. Patented Apr. 14,1885.

WiT NESSES (V! I INVENDRS:

42W AMf/b/ $9M JZQMI WW, 760 1 (No Model,) 2 SheetsSheet 52.

F. A. BREWER & W. s. HOW.

FORGEPS FOR APPLYING RUBBER DAM CLAMPS.

No. 315,706. Patented Apr. 14, 1-885.

WITNESSES.

as UNITED STATES PATENT" Orricn.

FRANCIS A. BEEVVER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, GAL, AND "W. STORER HOW, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PA.,- ASSIGNORS TO THE S. S. WHITE DENTAL MANU- FACTURINGCOMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

FORCEPS F OR APPLYING RUBBER-DAM CLAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,706, dated April14, 1885.

Applientionfiled February 28, 1885. (No modeLI f all whom it mayconcern.-

Beit known that we, FRANCIS A. BREWER, of San Francisco. California, and'VV. STORER HOW, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have jointly inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Forceps for Applying Rubber- DamClamps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the forceps em- IO ployed by dentists in theuse of rubber-dam clamps. Such clamps are familiar to and in general useamong dentists, and are of several different types, each of whichrequires a special form of forceps to apply and remove I 5 them.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved forceps by whichthe prominent types of rubber-dam clamps now in usesuch as the Allan(unperforated) and the Palmer and the Elliott (perforated) clampsmay beoperated when applied and removed by a single forceps, which we term auniversal forceps for rubbendam clamps.

The subject-matter herein claimed as of our 2 5 joint invention is firstparticularly described in detail, and is then distinctly set forth atthe close of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of one form of ourimproved forceps. Fig. 2 is a side or edge view thereof, showing thebayonet shape given to the operating beaks or points. Fig. 3 is a planview showing the beaks or points as partially separated, as in expandingand applying a clamp;

5 and Fig. 4 is a front view of the operating-beak or point end of theinstrument. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are respectively corresponding views toFigs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of a modified form of our improvements, and theform which we prefer to employ. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of theoperating-beak or point end of the modified form of instrument lastmentioned. to show more particularly the notches in the clampoperatingstuds or pins.

5 Our improved forceps are composed of two I members, A A, pivotedtogether at a, as usual, said members A A at one end being formed intobeaks or operating-points B B, for engaging and operating the rubber-damclamps, while the other ends of said members are constructed, generally,of a bow or curve shape,

to constitute the handles 0 G, by which the beaks or points areseparated to expand the clamp in applying it to the tooth. As usual,

a spring, D, acts to close the beaks or points, 5 and it requirespressure upon the handles to open them. The instrument is likewiseprovided with a slide or ring, E, by which, when the beaks or points areopen or separated against the action of the spring D, they may 6e beretained in that position and until the clamp is properly fitted overthe tooth, when the sliding forward of the slide or ring E releases thebeaks or points and permits the spring-clamp to fasten itself upon thetooth. The forceps in front of the pivot a-that is to say, the operatingend-is given a bayonet form, and the bayonet-point is swelled below thebend b, so as to allow it to go down over the tooth in front of the oneto which the clamp 0 is to be applied. This sinuous bayonet form is whatis known as the Bowman-Allan, and

is not claimed herein by us. The beaks or points B B have their endsI) 1) extended forward in a plane substantially parallel with thelongitudinal line ofthe handles of the main part of the instrument, andwhen the Allan and similar types of clamps are to be used they areexpanded or separated by placing said ends I) b of the beaks or pointswithin the springclamp, which, upon pressure being applied to thehandles of the instrument, is expanded by the pressure of said ends b bagainst the sides of the clamp, whereby the clamp may be fitted over thetooth to which 8 5 the rubber dam is applied, in order to hold said damin place. The sides of the ends b b which act upon the inner sides ofthe members of the spring-clamp may be plain, or,

which is preferred, they may be recessed or 90. notched or shouldered atb Z2 in order to obtain a better and more secure hold upon thespring-clamp.

In order to adapt the forceps to the Palmer and other similar perforatedclamps, which 5 are expanded or applied by means of forceps having studsor pins on the projecting beaks or points, we provide the'bayonet beaksor points B B with studs or pins or projections c c, which project atright angles substantially to the longitudinal line of the instrument,as clearly shown in the drawings. In use studs or pins c are fitted inholes, perforations, or sockets of the clamp to expand its members, andwhen the clamp is properly fitted to the tooth the pressure upon theforceps is released. This allows the clamp to fasten itself upon thetooth and the forceps to be removed, whereupon the operation of thedentist in treating or operating upon the tooth is proceeded with.

By constructing the bayonet forceps with the operating studs or pinsc cwe have adapted one instrument for the operation of the severaldifferent prominent types of rubber-dam clamps, or, in other words, wehave provided,

as stated before, what we call a universal forceps for rubber-damclamps.

In some forms of clampsas in some of the Palmer types, for instanceit isdesirable to provide the studs or pins 0 c with a notch, d, to engagethe edge of the opening in the clamp, whereby the projection of the endof the stud or pin 0 into the gum of the patient is avoided,

as the notch' of the pin engages the edge of the clamp, and in vapplyingthe clamp any l pressure that may be necessary does not drive the clampup upon the stud or pin so as to allow a projecting point to wound thegum. The studs or pins 0 c are necessarily of some length, because inthe construction of the Palmer and similar clamps one or both of theopenings, instead of being aplain opening throughone thickness of the'spring'rnetal composing the'clamp, is formed by bending a portion ofthe metal so as to form a socket of 0 considerable depth.

We claim herein as our inventionl. A rubber-dam-clamp forceps having abayonet operating end provided with studs

